MLB Power Rankings: Kansas City Royals Streaking to Contention
In the week and a half since the All Star break, quite a lot has happened to shake up the standings. The same holds true in this week’s edition of the MLB power rankings.
It has been two weeks since our previous MLB power rankings, due to the All Star break the week before. With only three games on the docket for each team, there simply was not enough time to make a significant movement in the standings. After all, how much can a three game set matter?
Well, since then, there has been quite a bit of movement. The New York Yankees made the first true blockbuster move, strengthening their bullpen while acquiring Todd Frazier to fill their hole at first base. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals just continue to win, and have pulled their way into a tie for the second Wild Card spot.
The American League Wild Card race is not the only one that has tightened. Both the AL and NL Central divisions have become a battle. The AL East and NL West are both a three team race, although one has to wonder how the Dodgers will fare if Clayton Kershaw is out for any length of time. Even the Nationals, who are seemingly in command of their own destiny, have their own concerns, as Stephen Strasburg had to leave his outing early.
It has been a wild two weeks, making a great deal of different in the standings, and in our MLB power rankings.
team. 40. Madison Bumgarner is back, and it does not matter. Virtually everyone in the Giants rotation, excluding Bumgarner, is available. Perhaps their highlight of the season, in terms of a roster move, has been the resurrection of Sam Dyson. Maybe they can flip him for a solid piece as well.. . Previous: 28th. San Francisco Giants. 30
team. 127. Contending teams may not want to face the Padres in the last couple of months of the season. They have played much better lately, and appear to be relishing their opportunity to be spoilers. Once this team matures, they could become another version of the Astros.. . Previous: 29th. San Diego Padres. 29
Previous: 30th. Philadelphia Phillies. 28. team. 6. The next week should be fascinating for the Phillies. Pat Neshek is one of the hottest commodities on the trade market, and could land Philadelphia a fairly decent prospect. Jeremy Hellickson is also likely to be on the move, and several top prospects could be called up soon. The future is coming..
. Previous: 21st. Cincinnati Reds. 27. team. 61. The Cincinnati Reds are in free fall currently. The pitching staff is in shambles, the offense has struggled, and even Joey Votto cannot carry the team by himself. However, it may get even worse before things get better. There are still more pieces to sell off.
Previous: 26th. Toronto Blue Jays. 26. team. 39. What went wrong with the Blue Jays this season? This is, after all, almost the exact same team they had last year. Did they really need Edwin Encarnacion in the lineup that badly? By this time next week, the Blue Jays may not look even close to the same..
team. 128. Well, the White Sox pulled off the first blockbuster trade of the deadline, sending Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees. Despite the talent heading New York’s way, the White Sox return is fairly disappointing. Can one of those prospects turn into an impact piece in the future?. . Previous: 23rd. Chicago White Sox. 25
The most interesting news surrounding the A’s actually come from a former player. Yoenis Cespedes stated that he wants to finish his career in Oakland, as they were the team that gave him his first MLB contract. Considering he’s property of the Mets until 2020, this is an interesting time to mention a return to the Athletics.. . Previous: 27th. Oakland Athletics. 24. team. 96
11. First they’re buying. Then they’re selling. Now, Dan Duquette says the Orioles are going to be buyers. Considering how many teams they need to leapfrog in the standings, and their struggles to find starting pitching, it is time to put up the for sale sign.. . Previous: 22nd. Baltimore Orioles. 23. team
22. team. 82. Does anyone actually want to purchase the Marlins? Jeb! dropped out, then jumped back in with another prospective ownership group. Then Tagg Romney dropped out. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Loria continues to drag his feet in picking a new owner. If he keeps waiting, other potential groups may drop out, lowering the price.. . Previous: 18th. Miami Marlins
For all the talk of how the Mets wanted to part with Jay Bruce last offseason, the same sense of urgency to trade him is not there this year. Instead, the Mets are desperate to move Curtis Granderson, although he seems almost impossible to send elsewhere.. . Previous: 25th. New York Mets. 21. team. 3
17. The Braves push toward .500 continues. Somehow, they went 5-5 in their ten games against the Diamondbacks, Cubs, and Dodgers. While it may be too late in the year to make a serious run at the postseason, a solid finish over the final two months could breed a lot of optimism for 2018.. . Previous: 20th. Atlanta Braves. 20. team
Detroit Tigers. 19. team. 63. J.D. Martinez has already been traded, and he may not be the Tigers last move. While trading Justin Verlander is unlikely, pieces like Justin Wilson or Ian Kinsler could bring back a decent return. The thought of the Tigers trading a reliever, given their bullpen struggles over the years, is a bit ironic.. . Previous: 24th
Minnesota Twins. 18. team. 2. The Braves backing out of their trade of Jaime Garcia to the Twins is strange. What, exactly, did they see in Nick Burdi’s medicals to cause them to take that trade back? He had Tommy John surgery a couple of months ago, so it’s not like he was passed off as healthy. Just a strange situation.. . Previous: 17th
Very quietly, the Pirates had gotten ove rthe .500 mark. Although they lost their last two since then to fall below .500 once again, they are still very much alive in the NL Central. Don’t look now, but the reports of the Pirates demise may have been premature. . Previous: 19th. Pittsburgh Pirates. 17. team. 4
Los Angeles Angels. 16. team. 102. The Los Angeles Angels, by whatever city/state designation they used, have been around since 1962. Mike Trout is 25 years old, and has spent around six and a half years in the majors. He just became the Angels all time WAR lord. Just imagine if he stays healthy.. . Previous: 14th
126. The Rangers may have saved their season with their sweep of the Rays over the weekend. At five games below .500 entering that series, and facing the second Wild Card team, the Rangers could have been all but eliminated. Now, they have a bit of life, even if they are considering trading Yu Darvish.. . Previous: 11th. Texas Rangers. 15. team
62. The mariners are making moves, adding David Phelps and Marco Gonzalez, while signing Danny Espinosa after the latter was released. While they are in striking distance of the Wild Card, those moves may not make enough of a difference to end their postseason drought.. . Previous: 16th. Seattle Mariners. 14. team
. Previous: 12th. St. Louis Cardinals. 13. team. 33. Congrats to Michael Wacha, who threw his first career game, and first shutout, on Tuesday. It was also Wacha’s first outing of more than 6.2 innings this season. Somewhere, Old Hoss Radbourn is drowning his sorrow over the state of today’s pitchers in a pint of beer.
7. Don’t look now, but here come the Royals. Winners of their last five, Kansas City has pulled into a tie for the second Wild Card spot, and is just a game and a half out of the Central. They may well have one last run in them, as Royals devil magic looks alive and well once more.. . Previous: 15th. Kansas City Royals. 12. team
21. The Rays had a chance to run away with the second Wild Card, and possibly hurdle the Yankees for the top spot. Instead, they lost the first game against the Rangers in heartbreaking fashion, and did not seem to recover. This is a critical week for Tampa Bay, with a four game set against the Yankees to close out the week.. . Previous: 10th. Tampa Bay Rays. 11. team
10. team. 9. The Cubs just won’t go away. After acquiring Jose Quintana and sending the Brewers a message, they are slowly closing in in the Central. The World Series hangover is still lingering, but the Cubs have too much talent to fade away.. . Previous: 13th. Chicago Cubs
76. With the Cubs creeping ever closer, it is time for the Brewers to make a move. Seemingly linked to every Detroit pitcher, as well as Ian Kinsler, a trade is likely to come. The question is: will it be enough for Milwaukee to hold off the hard charging Cubs?. . Previous: 9th. Milwaukee Brewers. 9. team
8. team. 14. The Red Sox may finally have an answer to their revolving door at third base. Top prospect Rafael Devers has been promoted to the majors, where he will have the opportunity to prove that he is the present, and not just the future, at third. The Red Sox postseason hopes may rest on how well he acclimates to the major league level.. . Previous: 5th. Boston Red Sox
team. 43. The Yankees filled in several needs with Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle. Currently possessing the best bullpen in the game, the Yankees still have the ammunition needed to get that starting pitcher they need. The Evil Empire has risen once more.. . Previous: 6th. New York Yankees. 7
Previous: 8th. Colorado Rockies. 5. team. 108. For a moment, it looked as though the Colorado Rockies were about to fall out of the postseason chase. Instead, since the All Star break, the Rockies have found their way once again. Chances are, they need another starter to be a true threat, but Colorado is still a fun team to watch..
. Previous: 3rd. Arizona Diamondbacks. 4. team. 8. Just as the Rockies have pulled themselves back into a commanding spot in the Wild Card race, the Diamondbacks have fallen back a bit. While their upcoming week, with games against the Braves and Cardinals, may seem easy, they were swept by Atlanta on the previous weekend.
90. Stephen Strasburg left his start on Sunday after two innings due to a “slight achiness” on his forearm. While he is not concerned about the injury, and said that he hasn’t felt right since the break, his injury history makes this worrisome.. . Previous: 4th. Washington Nationals. 3. team
. Previous: 2nd. Houston Astros. 2. team. 135. The Astros had a scary moment on Saturday, when the recently recalled Colin Moran fouled a ball of his left eye. He was hospitalized with facial fractures, and may need to undergo surgery. It is a tough break for a player that had been recalled on Friday, and had a chance to show that he could be a viable major leaguer.
Next: Porcello could key Red Sox second half
. Previous: 1st. Los Angeles Dodgers. 1. team. 71. The Dodgers had been riding high, but may be about to crash. Clayton Kershaw is heading back to the disabled list with another back issue, lasting just 21 pitches before being taken out. If he is going to miss an extended period of time, the rest of the Dodgers rotation will have a tough task ahead.